Allen County school districts received $50,000 stipends Tuesday from the Prairie Queen Wind Farm. The schools, as well as the Regional Rural Technical Center in LaHarpe and the county itself, can expect similar gifts for the next nine years, Allen County commissioners said, in return for the industry getting a 10-year property tax break.
EDP Renewables, which owns Prairie Queen, agreed to give a total of $250,000 a year until it goes onto the tax rolls, at which point it is expected to pay about $1.2 million a year in property taxes.
Also benefiting from Prairie Queen are more than 50 landowners who lease their properties across 14,000 acres. The leases are for 30 years but include options to extend the life of the wind farm up to 50 years.
The wind farm became fully operational the summer of 2019 and is capable of generating 200 megawatts of electricity, which it sends to Evergy.
Winds as slight as 5 mph can generate energy, thanks to the dynamics of the enormous blades on the 59 windmills.
Construction of the wind farm was a boon to local economies large and small. LaHarpe officials credited the presence of Prairie Queen crews for its jump in sales tax revenues from $63,000 to $84,000 for 2019.
The wind farm today has about 15 full-time employees and is the genesis for the wind turbine technology certification program out at LaHarpe’s tech center, now in its second year.
Kansas is second in the nation in wind energy production, on the heels of Iowa. It’s an $11.4 billion investment and in 2019 Kansas relied more on wind energy than coal to generate electricity.
Now for solar.
I’m thrilled the city of Iola is considering building a solar energy farm with Texas-based POW Solar, LLC. It’s the second time in recent years the city has broached solar. In 2019, it turned down a proposal from Westar Energy.
While Kansas is the among the 10 sunniest states in the country, it’s done little to take advantage of the inherent opportunities.
As with wind, industries committed to meeting corporate sustainability goals look to locate in cities that provide “green energy.”
The good news is that some schools in Kansas are creating specialized solar programs. The best known is Johnson County Community College’s solar learning lab which offers an electrical technology certificate program as well as an associate degree that includes training for solar photovoltaic installers.
The best part about wind and solar power, of course, is that they are clean. No pollutants spewing from smokestacks. No potential for spills or leaks spoiling our land or waters.
AN ENERGY policy of primarily wind, solar and nuclear power would make for a healthier planet.